28 Reviews of the Carolina 3
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3
By: Artyk Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:
I bought a Carolina 3 in February after extensive research and past experiences with Outwell tents. On paper the Carolina 3 ticked all the boxes. Calling it a 3-man tent is pushing it a little though but as I only intend to use it for my wife and myself that isn't a problem for us.
We used the tent for the 1st time in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire last bank holiday (April 1st weekend) for 5 nights. We pitched it about 10-15 meters from a cliff edge with superb views of Fishguard harbour. That weekend we had torrential downpours and a couple of nights with extremely strong winds. The tent didn't let in a drop of water or move an inch in the wind. The Outwell Michigan Front Extension I used with it worked really well too but a couple of the fibreglass poles split due to the strong winds.
The only real problems I found was the opening/closing of the front door. Because of the sloping front it was difficult to reach the zip. Also the velcro of the doors kept catching on the mesh. But apart from those small issues everything else worked really well.
We used a heater all weekend and I thought this would cause condensation problems but not a bit the ventilation on this tent works really well.
The living area is huge with loads of light - fantastic to just sit and watch the world go by.
All-in-all a super weekend tent.
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By: Chris.cop Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:
Well we finally think we have found our ideal tent (until the next one!). The tent went up very easy thanks to having only two main poles and next time I think I will be able to manage it on my own. We used to own a montana6 which was fantastic but I was getting fed up with weight of it well this tent is like a mini Monty with all its windows.
During our stay we experienced torrential rain but pleased to say couldn't find a drop of water any where when we got up. Originally replaced the Monty with a Tigris 400 but for two people this seems far superior especially in the living space.
I have only one minor quibble (which I can live with) you cannot get an airbed in longways surely outwell could have made the bedroom that 20cm longer then the tent would be a 10/10
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By: Jon+von Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:
We bought our Carolina for weekends and short camps. We usually use the outwell sun valley 6 2006 model.
We discovered that the sleeping space was not big enough for 3 people and struggled with 2 adults and a small child. The rest of the tent was fantastic especially the bright open space in the living area, lots of windows and good height.
We camped on a cliff top in North Yorkshire 20 metres from the edge, it was very cold yet we were very pleased especially with the windows and views and would certainly recommend this tent for 2 adults.
My daughter is going to be the proud new owner this spring and I,m positive she and her chap will love it.
It's better than her pop up!
We found this to be of the high standard of all outwell tents but just not enough sleep space for 3.
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By: RibTime Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:
I was looking for a tent that wasn't too big, yet would have a good living space and accommodation for 2. This tent is advertised as a 3 berth but in reality you won't get more than two in the sleeping area.
Pitching the tent seemed straight forward and could be done in 30 or so minutes. Inside the living space is excellent and being 6'3' I can walk around in most of the tent. With a main front door and side door that both have the velcro bottom fasteners which I'm not a big fan of as it will let wind and possibly rain in.
One of the nights we had howling wind and heavy rain and I was most impressed how the tent coped and sure it could take a whole lot more.
Panoramic windows are very nice.
In my view one of the best tents on the market.
Purchased the carpet and groundsheet and these are up to the standards of other Outwell tents. I believe that the Michigan carpet will also go under the sleeping area so if considering this tent I'd get large carpet which I think is at a similar price.
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By: Keithydee Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:
I bought this tent recently, like everybody else I would suggest its a 2 man tent, the bedroom is narrow too so you can only put the thermarests across the width of the tent.
Its light and airy, morning comes early due to it being so light and I can see the tent being difficult to keep warm out of the summer months as the living area is so large.
The front door drips in the rain and the windows were awkward, there are so many windows that it becomes a chore. Its easy enough to put up and well ventilated, I like the gauze at the top of the bedroom door and it feels sturdy enough.
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By: Bob61 Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:
This is my second review of this tent having now tested it more fully over a 4 day period.
I still believe it is a very good tent and everything I said before still stands, however, there is room for improvement in certain areas.
I have discovered that on anything but a perfectly flat pitch the flysheet cannot be persuaded to fit centrally on the poles, thus fitting the pins into the base of the poles even with the straps fully loosened can be very difficult. It would help if the straps were adjustable on both sides of the tent rather than just one.
A result of this is that one side of the groundsheet will be raised off the ground allowing the wind to billow underneath. This can cause any light items inside the tent to topple. This is compounded by a minimal number of flysheet pegging points. I feel a few more pegging points all round would help to pin the tent and the groundsheet closer to the ground.
Likewise, the number of guy lines seem skimped with just two doubled up ones on each side next to but not attached to the metal poles and one doubled up one on each corner of the tent flysheet. There are two more attached to the rear of the flysheet mainly for the vent flap. I have yet to use the tent in really windy conditions so I cannot comment on how stable it will be but I will certainly be carrying spare guy lines just in case.
Another review mentioned that the EHU lead inlet zip is on the wrong side of the tent and I have to agree. With it's present position below the side door, the EHU socket box can only be positioned between this door and the front door (a very short distance) without having to trail the lead across the door entrances or the front of the bedroom pod causing a tripping hazard underfoot and less scope for positioning electrical equipment. If the inlet zip was on the longest side of the tent where there are no doors, the lead could be kept out of the way and the scope for positioning items would be much greater.
Other reviews also commented that the fly net on the doors catches on the velcro door fastening strips. I also found this to be a problem and already the netting is becoming 'snagged'. I am sure it will end up holed before very long.
I believe I read somewhere that this tent is intended as a 'two season' tent. I am not too sure what would constitute a 3 or more season tent other than perhaps the HH of the material. This tent has an HH of 3000mm which I consider to be pretty good and I have camped in winter in 1500mm tents before with no problems. However, having now camped in sub-zero temperatures in this tent and with a heater I discovered that the front sloping windows seem to gather condensation which runs down and pools on the SIG in the front corners. This needs mopping occasionally. Strangely the other windows and the flysheet itself do not seem to suffer with quite so much condensation. Perhaps the slope of the front has some bearing on this.
One other problem I found was that due to the design, where the rear fibreglass pole clips into its cup on the door side, it hangs beyond the door opening and it is possible to catch yourself on it when entering or leaving.
This tent has been renamed for 2010 as the Carolina M. I do not know if any of the above little problems have been altered or resolved. I have been given to understand that the front and rear fibreglass pole cups have been modified so they don't now hang beyond the door opening but I have not seen one yet to confirm.
Despite the above problems I still like the tent a lot and it ticks all my boxes. As stated, I have not tested it in windy weather conditions. I hope my opinions don't change when that eventuality arises.
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By: Lindastarcrazy Reason: I've used one Made in: 2009 Rating:
We bought this one last year in order for just the two of us to go camping. The other tent is the Ohio XL which is fantastic, but difficult to pitch with only 2 people. The Carolina 3 is a comfortable, easy to pitch, all round tent. I would advise on an awning though as once you have table and chairs, cooking gear and clothes in the tent there is not much space left. The windows all around are great and it stood up to a lot of rain and wind very well. Plenty of space for 2 people to sleep and live in. I found it difficult to open and close the front door as it slopes a bit too much and in the wind does not keep taught very well and bangs against items inside the tent. An additional guy rope at the top of the door would perhaps rectify this. Anyway, have just ordered the side extension to use as a cooking area next time. The windows do up from the bottom up which is taxing as the Ohio has windows from the top down which are great to use and very little extra bending (especially after a nice fried breakfast!).
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By: Keithydee Reason: I own(ed) one Made in: 2009 Rating:
Be aware of this tent, just returned from Scotland after packing up at 2am this morning, the fibre glass frame joint gave way followed by the metal pole joint dropping the tent, a wasted 1000 mile round trip, this is a fair weather tent (see previous review) from my experience and nothing more, there were other fibre glass strutted tents which were still standing when ours was over on its side, needless to say I'm after a refund and wont have another one.
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28 User Reviews of the Carolina 3 - Showing 21 to 28 Page:
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The manufacturer has advised that this model has been discontinued.
A direct Outwell response to customer requests, the NEW Carolina sleeps up to 3 persons in the security and comfort provided by a sewn-in groundsheet. Strong selling points include its large panorama windows, excellent ventilation, and exceptional amount of standing height made possible by the Outwell Extended Frame system on both the front and rear of the tent. Moderate in size, but big on features customers value, the NEW Carolina 3 has both a front and side door, and comes with bottom-up curtains that give occupants both the view and the privacy they want, a pre-attached and adjustable inner tent, and convenient organiser pockets. The NEW Carolina 3 is sure to find favour with campers who are looking for outstanding comfort and quality.
Specifications: Flysheet: Outtex® 3000 with taped seams Hydrostatic Head: 3000 mm Floor: Double-coated polyethylene Inner tent: Breathable polyester Pack size: 27 x 77 cm Weight: 19.9 kg Poles: Steel poles 19/22 mm, Duratec fibreglass 11 mm
Features: • Pre-attached and adjustable inner tent • Organiser pockets • Mesh pockets in the inner tent • Fully seam-sealed flysheet for maximum protection • Reinforcement patch on all stress points • Lamp holder and light cable tidies • Adjustable pegging points • Pre-attached guy ropes • Luminous guy ropes • Heavy duty Outwell zips • Outwell doormat included
